Kirkjufell Explained

Kirkjufell
Elevation M:	463
Location:	Snæfellsnes, Iceland
Type:	Nunatak

Kirkjufell (Icelandic: in Icelandic pronounced as /ˈcʰɪr̥cʏˌfɛtl̥/, "Church Mountain") is a 463 m^[1] high hill on the north coast of Iceland's Snæfellsnes peninsula, near the town of Grundarfjörður. It is claimed to be the most photographed mountain in the country.^[2] Kirkjufell was one of the filming locations for Game of Thrones season 6 and 7, featuring as the "arrowhead mountain" that the Hound and the company north of the Wall see when capturing a wight.

Geography

Kirkjufell contains volcanic rock but is not itself a volcano. It is a nunatak, a mountain that protruded above the glaciers surrounding it during the Ice Age, and before that was part of what was once the area's strata. This stratum is composed of alternating layers of Pleistocene lava and sandstone, with tuff at its summit.^[3]

Mountaineering

The mountain has been the scene of a number of mountaineering fatalities.^{[4] [5] [6]}

Notes and References

1. Web site: Mt KIRKJUFELL SNAEFELLSNES. https://web.archive.org/web/20141021212023/http://www.nat.is/travelguideeng/plofin_mt_kirkjufell_snae.htm . 2014-10-21. dead. 2014-07-28.
2. News: Visit West Iceland . Kirkjufell Visit West Iceland. 2018-07-18. en.
3. Web site: How to explore Iceland through the eyes of a geologist: Part 1 – A Land of Ice and Fire. Exploring the Earth.
4. Web site: 2022-10-19 . A fatal accident at Kirkjufell. Iceland Monitor.
5. Web site: Fatal accident in Mt Kirkjufell: Foreign hiker was pronounced dead at the scene. Icelandmag.
6. Web site: February 1, 2017 . Kirkjufell & Kirkjufellsfoss.